A different sort of Sunday- 21st of Ordinary time/"Our Treasure" - The Holy Spirit at work in The Church since St Peter/the Rock!

It looks like Hector was taking a nap, so missed out on the picture...

It was so great to see adorable Hector with his big sister, Evie, just back from sharing mass with grandpa Pat last night!

Yes, mass this morning for the farm crew was different in a lot of ways!  Ruth and Paul had 10 kids to get out of the house to mass this morning, and I had my father to dress in his "Sunday shirt" and 1 1/2 year old George to get ready.  A total of 11 kids!  Pat wasn't here to help me get George into church, or to take the kids shopping for rolls after mass.  We decided to do our own breakfast this morning - Ruth and Paul with the kids and I with my dad.

One more to show Evie's pretty dress and Pat and Hector in their shorts.  

They are now on the road for the next two days and due to arrive here on the farm tomorrow evening! The excitement is building!  Dad and my prayers are in many directions these days - safety for all the traveling that it is taking to get Maria and the 6 here, Nancy and Bill working hard to launch their new program tomorrow with 100 families and at the same time making the presentation in a huge life-changing competition they are finalists in Our Sunday Visitor Innovators Competition!  Also big in our prayer needs is John's journey that continues now with a need for a job - we know that the Lord has a plan, and we trust and pray.  We also know that Hallel is in France with much going on there with the American she traveled there with Little Sister Joyce taking her first vows!

George has discovered the soft sauce apples that are now ripe by the hundreds on the tree at Ruth's - quick breakfast and kept him happy for most of the mass shared with Nancy's kids as well as Ruth's!

David and Simon were altar boys - let there be LIGHT!

A river of family flowing out of mass this morning!

I regretted that I didn't take notes during the homily today given by our dear TEC friend, Fr Denny! So I just listened to it again in line!  I did attempt to take notes as Father was so beautiful in his total love and devotion to The Church which is from Christ to St Peter/the Rock upon which the True Church was formed and given the Holy Spirit to always guide and direct through The Popes since...  Father called our Church "our treasure" which is over 2,000 years of Scripture, sacraments, and moral teachings.  He reminded us so powerfully that the Holy Spirit will always be with The Church... Jesus will not abandon His Church!  The gates of Hell will not prevail against it!  

A sense of accomplishment to get through mass with the kids!  We did it!

Thanks Ruth and Paul, you are so willing and able to tackle needs in the family and on the farm!  You are amazing and wonderful servants to Jesus!  Not only were we the only one with kids in mass, much like usual - we had an additional 5 today, and they were so good!  Thank you, Lord!

This kid is making grandma happy with his smiles!  The hot weather makes this appropriate clothing for our time outside after supper.  He did not want to come even to swim in the tub!  He was right it was the best part of the day!  Thanks, George, for getting grandma out to enjoy the evening!

A sweet smile in the swing..

The 19th Sunday that dad has worn his Sunday shirt since his arrival here on April 16th!  He usually will say; "It must be Sunday, because I am putting on my Sunday shirt."  He arrived in the beginning of Lent, through the crazy Easter with no mass, and now we are into our 21st Sunday of Ordinary Time!

19 Sundays!  How we love that Sunday shirt, and whenever there have been any nice occasions it is what we grab - like the day that Hallel was leaving back to KC, and we would be doing keepsake pictures...

Sunday shirt with Hallel on a Thursday - her last night on the farm for another 3 or more years!  Special indeed!

It is so wonderful to have my father here with us sharing every last bit of our LOVE for The True Church, which he led our family of 13 into 49 years ago!  There is nothing that we don't agree on and have no reservations about the Church teachings!  Father Denny mentioned that some struggle with the infalability of the Pope.  He and all of our family - see him as the Pope descended from St Peter and we give our obedience to him.  

My Most Cherished Cross, hubby Pat and my father, who brought us all into The Church - I see the Holy Spirit at work in both of the men in my life - to whom I have been placed in a position of obedience to!  Dad moved mountains in my life growing up - listening to the Holy Spirit in the life of our family  - bringing us into The Church, Baptized in the Holy Spirit, and saying "yes" to adopting 4 adding to our 7!  

https://familysoulstory.blogspot.com/p/the-amazing-story-of-13-becoming.html

Then there is this man, who allowed us to say "Yes" to LIFE and raising them as LIGHTS!  This has become the way of LIFE in our extended family, and has made our cup overflow with LIFE/LOVE/LIGHT in our sharing of Faith/Family/Farm!  

https://familysoulstory.blogspot.com/p/my-most-cherished-cross-patrick-gerard.html

The oldest and the youngest - bookends with the 140 between them!  It has been so special to have dad here to watch Birdie grow and to be a prayer warrior/doing the work of prayer for our huge family! Yes, there are ups and downs as with anything we are called to do, but the blessings far outweigh the hardships!  

The first thing my father said to me this morning - "This is mother's Gospel today!"  I was confused as it was not what she had used in her funeral mass.  "This is the verse she would ask me very often -'Robert, where is that verse about Jesus never leaving his Church?'"  "I would tell her Matthew 16."  Mom, with her increasing dementia would have to ask dad to show her where these reassuring words of Truth could be found.  Why so often?  Because there were those close to them that were saying the Jesus had left his Church and that they should not go down with the ship!

Listen to these words this day and take heart, as my mother did time and time again and I am today and always!

Simon Peter said in reply,
"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus said to him in reply,
“Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
And so I say to you, you are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.
Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Matthew 16:13-20

I kind of apologize for all of these, but he kept going out and coming back in through the gate with such sweet smiles in the evening sunlight!  Such a gift to grandma!

So sweet and so happy!  

Carried away by this little guy here to make me happy and spend some wonderful time outside with him.

Doughnut for bedtime snack?  Tiny one with milk and a Brumm brumm, and a cute smile...

Jesus, how we love you and your Bride, The Church!  We pray without ceasing for the many problems and hurts that come with this world wide Church filled with the good and the bad.  Just as your disciples included Judas.  Come Holy Spirit and renew the face of the earth and of your Beloved Church.  Jesus, we trust in you.  Amen and hallelujah

St Rose today!  

7 years ago - Ruth Ida Rose and Rose Ida - they share the feast day today of St Rose of Lima!  

Always kitties for these two!  

Happy Feast Day
Saint Rose of Lima
1586-1617
Feast Day: August 23 (New), August 30 (Trad)
Patroness of Latin America
Invoked against vanity
St. Rose was a very pretty and obedient girl born in Peru. She was determined to take a vow of virginity, which was opposed by her parents, who wished her to marry. When she was admired for her beauty, Rose cut off her hair and smeared pepper on her face to ruin her complexion so she would not be attractive. She lived and meditated in a garden, raising vegetables and making embroidered items to sell to support her family and help the poor. She was a Dominican tertiary, mystic and visionary. She received the invisible stigmata and suffered from assorted physical and mental ailments. She died in 1617 at the age of 31 and was the first saint of the Americas.